St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally full of leprechauns, Irish dancing and four leaf clovers.
For those who enjoy celebrating the Irish holiday by sporting green and getting active, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) will host its 7th Annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K Run/Walk.
The race will be held at 10 a.m. on March 15, with day-of registration beginning at 9 a.m. Vice Chancellor Tom Sonnleitner, the honorary starter, will send the runners and walkers on their way from the UW Oshkosh SRWC, 735 Pearl Ave.
Kelly Beisenstein-Weiss, UW Oshkosh recreation coordinator, said the race first came about as a healthy way to have students spend St. Patrick’s Day and bring the campus and surrounding community together.
“It is fun to see the two groups come together,” Beinsenstein-Weiss said. “We are all here and for the community it’s wonderful to share the resources we have and show off the student body; for the students it’s great to see them interacting with families.”
Proceeds from this year’s race will help benefit the Oshkosh Area United Way and multicultural initiatives at UW Oshkosh. Supporting these groups could not be possible without the local businesses such as Cousins Subs, Festival Foods and many others that help support the campus event.
The 5K run/walk is a chip-timed event where awards are given to the top three overall male and female finishers and the top male and female finisher for each age division. All participants 14 and younger will receive a ribbon for participation.
Team awards are also given to the fastest team, the greatest percent of participation from student organizations, residence halls, UWO faculty/staff (who win three hour chair massages), family/friends, community business/ organization and the team with the most spirit.
Many students enjoy getting in on the fun and creating a team for the annual Shamrock Shuffle. Mercedes Ploor, a senior studying kinesiology, joins a team every year and also helps advertise the event by putting up fliers and handing out brochures.
“What’s great about this event is that it’s for all ages and it’s just a fun way to get people together including family, friends and coworkers,” Ploor said.
Team registrations are due March 5; the cost is $20 per team member and includes a long-sleeve t-shirt with a team name on back and a sling pack bag. The early individual registrations are due March 10; the cost is $15 and includes a short-sleeve t-shirt.
A charity participant can register and run for $10 but will not receive a shirt. After the deadlines, individuals can still register for $20 up until 9 a.m. on race day.
Once registered, which can be done online or dropped off at the SRWC, participants can pick up their race shirts, bib numbers and chips from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 14 at the SRCW.
“The shirts are very bright this year. You will see us coming!” Beisenstein-Weiss said.
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